Illusion Formation

A type of trapping formation that uses mist and sensory deception to disorient its target. In RMJI, it has no direct lethal effect, making the fox's death inside it immediately suspicious.

Definition

A type of trapping formation that uses mist and sensory deception to disorient its target. In RMJI, it has no direct lethal effect, making the fox's death inside it immediately suspicious.

Story context

We open with a life-or-death standoff in the sky: the masked woman (our familiar Nascent Soul cultivator, Nan Gong Wan) has used a tactical feint—pretending to be exhausted—to trap Wang Chan and the flamboyant man in a relentless sword-light barrage. But her ploy is a double-edged sword: her magic power is truly depleted, her vital treasure is shattered, and her secret technique is burning through her life force. Just as the demonic duo break free and bear down on her, a streak of white light shoots up from the forest below. Someone snatches her and bolts. That someone is Han Li. And he has prepared a nasty surprise for the pursuers.

Why it matters

- This is a textbook demonstration of the Mortal Stream’s “layered retreat” strategy: Han Li doesn’t just flee—he sets up the terrain *before* committing to the rescue. Every panicked expression is a poker face; every delay is a planned window. - Nan Gong Wan’s plan to “drag a passerby into the fight” is a classic Dark Forest move: in a world without law, any neutral actor is either prey or a potential emergency resource. It backfires only because she didn’t know the “passerby” already owed her. - Dong Xuan’er’s hesitation is a rare human crack in the ruthless machine. The chapter ends on a question: will she help the demonic path, or let the past weigh the scales? - Pay attention to the “Lizard Cuts Off Its Tail” logic at play: everyone here is burning their reserves (life-force, secret arts, foresight) to survive. No one wins cleanly in a Mortal Stream fight.